The MET

Our last outing to the MET was quite an adventure, especially getting stuck in the tsunami before getting there. One thing that really caught my eye was the whole Central America room. It was full of my favorite, gold! The first two were from the tomb of the Sican people. It was a mask made out of gold and copper, used for funeral purposes. Next was a nose chain made by the people of Peru made out of silver, gold and shells. Another was what used to be a necklace made out of tiny Cast gold frogs from the Aztec people. Did you know, in those times frogs were a symbol of water and fertility. All of these pieces were amazing, especially because they were from a time where they didn't have the technology and equipment to make jewelry and trinkets like we do today. My favorite though, was the female lion pendant made out of gold and greenstone inlay. It was truly beautiful and it was only a privilege to have any gold in those times, only chiefs in Panama were able to get their hands on them.

Field Trip #4

Today, we visited the sculpture center right over the bridge. This museum was very different from all the others. The one exhibit that most interested me was the "Cyclone Fence" created in 1968. Not only was it the biggest one, but it was placed right in the middle of the huge warehouse. It was long strip of fence, twisted in an odd manner. The space that it was in, being so wide open, made it impossible not to notice it. Being that we were in a former trolley repair shop, the feel and look of metal was all over, so this work fit right in. I think if this work was in a different setting, it wouldn't quite fit and give you the same feeling. The other ropes and water filled wheelbarrows add to the excitement and give it a real construction-y feel.

Field trip #3 - Design In Our Lives

It's amazing how art controls so many aspects of our lives. Artists sometimes create things just to be gazed at and some artists have a different way of working. Functionality also comes into play when creating a work of art. Some artists create designs with purpose to be used as more than beauty and in the MoMA we see many different examples of this.

As soon as I walked in, the first one I noticed was called "Design for an Overpopulated Planet" by Anthony Dunne (2009). It was a group of odd green tubes and shapes that explored what it would be like to have to live off things that weren't exactly looked at as edible, such as grass. Using this equipment, we could live off of resources like animals do. The one that really caught my attention was worn over the face with 2 tubes coming down with a mouth piece and a long tube worn over your back, with a handle. Though they were cool to look at, I'm not sure the world is ready for this low functional art exhibit.

Next was the "X-IT Emergency Escape Ladder" by Aldo DiBelardino, Ezio DiBelardino and Andrew Ive (1997). Unlike the first design, this could actually be useful in our modern day world. It was an aluminum and fabric, a ladder that could be used to escape out the window in case of an emergency. Better safe than sorry!

Last, was the "Puma Bike" from the Puma Tribanded Collection (2004). This could potentially be really useful for someone who normally uses a bike as mode for transportation. This bike actually folds into a handheld bike you can carry; extremely functionally especially for someone living in a small apartment aka most of New York City!

Field Trip #2

On our second field trip, we went to PS1 in Long Island City. Though it was smaller than the MoMA, it certainly packed it's own punch. My favorite painting was one created by Kelly and Jeff Poe in Los Angeles in 2011 titled "Let's Be One on Top". It was a black fist at the top and though it was so simple, it was so empowering at the same time.

I wasn't a fan of "Rock It" by Carmine Boccuzzi and Bernard Lumpkin from 2007 (New York). I tried to make sense of it but it was awfully confusing. Maybe it was the mannequin head on top of a large amount of boxes; I couldn't get a story out of it.

Last, one I didn't understand, was "Served Up" by the Hudgin's family from 2009. After standing there for almost 20 minutes trying to make sense of it, I think it was the food that threw me off a little. My opinion is just one of millions but over all, it was a different experience that I embraced.

Field Trip #1

Our first field trip to the MoMA was an interesting one. Let me start off by saying it wasn't anything like I expected. I thought it was going to be a bunch of boring art but boy, was I wrong. For my individual art piece, I chose a piece by Mark Bradford from 2007 named "Giant". It was a bunch of torn pieces of newspaper put onto canvas. From the sounds of it, it sounds kind of lame but it also had a bunch of colors and almost a theme to it. It almost reminded me of spiderman web's!

For cultural identity, I chose an Andrea Zittel work from 2011 called "Old Red Under-panel". The whole picture was a pattern, which almost reminded me of an Aztec or Indian work of art. After researching, I learned that she was from a Mexican-based part of California which would explain the background of the picture.

Last, I chose a Gerhard Heufler work from 2006 titled "Camcopter S-100 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle". You don't even see it at first until you see it and after that you're caught staring because it's quite amazing. I chose this for historical identity because this was a helicopter designed for aerial use in Vienna specializing in the de-mining in the 1970's. They also used it for border and harbor patrol and surveillance. Over all, all 3 of these works really spoke to me and that's why I feel they're important enough to choose out of the whole museum. Even though they don't have stories that go with them, just looking at them, you can see a story unfold.

Narrative Digital Collage

This collage represents one of the best memories of my life. Two years ago, when I was 18, my parents & I took a trip to Aruba. Not only was it my first big vacation, but it was my first time leaving the country. The weather was literally perfect, everything was so beautiful. I remember falling asleep on a beach chair & being woken up by a stray dog from the island, which I found out is in fact common. I also received surf lesson. Now, I just count down the days until I can go back.

Good Art vs. Bad Art

I think there's a lot of aspects that are involved to determine what's considered good & bad. For me, 'good' art is something that catches my eye, usually a piece with bright colors; something that pops almost. Everyone feels different about different pieces but I think it's the attention-grabbing works of art that almost everyone can appreciate, regardless of their preference. For example, one of my favorite pieces is by Van Gogh called Pop Art Skull. The colors automatically drew me in, not to mention skulls are one of my favorite art muse.

On the other hand, I believe there is a such thing as 'bad' art. One of my least favorite art forms is war art. Yes, I understand that it is history & important but I don't see how its intriguing to look at a war zone. In my eyes, it's actually pretty depressing. I feel art is supposed to move you, but in a positive way, not one that wants to make you cry.